31 May 2017

News Report: Beijing Calls On Japan to 'Be More Cautious' in South China Sea Statements

Japan should be careful in its statements related to the disputed South China Sea, China's State Councilor Yang Jiechi said, as quoted by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.BEIJING (Sputnik) — On Monday, Yang held a meeting in Tokyo with Shotaro Yachi, the head of the Japanese National Security Council's secretariat, within the framework of the fourth round of high-level political dialogue between the two states.

"We hope that the Japanese side would be cautious in its statements and actions related to the South China Sea issue and would play a constructive role in the settlement of the dispute between the relevant regional countries," Yang said.

The official added that mutual trust was necessary for stable development of relations between states and expressed hope that Tokyo would make steps to improve bilateral relations.

China has a number of territorial disputes with its neighbors, including in the South China Sea. Japan, which has a dispute with China over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, called the Diaoyu Islands by China, sometimes makes statements about Beijing's relations with other states on the issues, attracting Beijing's criticism.

This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.